US Space Force awards $13.7 billion in launch contracts to SpaceX, ULA and Blue Origin

a rocket launches behind a sign that reads "cape canaveral space force station"

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 17, 2021 carrying a GPS satellite to orbit on behalf of the U.S. Space Force. (Image credit: USSF/Airman 1st Class Samuel Becker)

The U.S. Space Force has awarded $13.7 billion in launch contracts to SpaceX, United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Blue Origin.

The contracts cover "Phase 3 Lane 2" national-security missions, which loft the "most demanding, least risk-tolerant payloads," Space Force officials said in an April 4 statement that announced the news.

SpaceX got about $5.9 billion for an expected 28 missions, ULA received nearly $5.4 billion for 19 flights, and Blue Origin got roughly $2.4 billion for seven launches. The missions are expected to fly between 2027 and 2032.

"Today's award culminates nearly three years of government and industry partnership to increase launch resiliency and capacity," Space Force Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, program executive officer for assured access to space, said in the statement. "The result is assured access to space for our national-security missions, which increases the military's readiness."

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SpaceX has two rockets that are certified for national-security launches — the Falcon 9 and the Falcon Heavy — while ULA's new Vulcan Centaur just received its certification. (ULA also flies the workhorse Atlas V, which is certified as well, but that older rocket is scheduled to retire in 2029 or so.)

Blue Origin, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, will use its powerful New Glenn rocket to fulfill the newly awarded contract. New Glenn has flown just once to date and has yet to be certified for national security missions. Certification could come after the completion of flight two, which is expected to launch in late spring.

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Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.